The leading donor Japan will cut its overseas aid by four percent to 784 billion yen (7,5 billion US dollar) for the fiscal year from April 2005 due to a tight budget, the sixth straight annual decline, a report said Thursday.
It will be the first time Japans funding for foreign aid will have fallen below 800 billion yen since the fiscal year to March 1990, said the evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun.
The foreign ministry had demanded a bigger aid budget as an important instrument of diplomacy. The ministry also noted that other developed countries increased overseas assistance in the past few years.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
